Still nobody's smart and strong?!?

[DEFCON 1]

I was doing a bit a prep for an upcoming campaign and was updating my racial ability score grid... which tracks which pairs of ability scores each race gets bonuses too. And what I've found astounds me.

There are right now 44 races (besides human) in the character builder. And because more than half get two options for paired scores... there are 79 different paired ability score race options.

And yet-- there is still only a single STR/INT combo. The genasi.

And quite frankly... as someone who loves the Tactical Warlord, this annoys me to no end.

Is it a bit whiny to get bent out of shape that the only way to start a character with an 18 STR / 18 INT is to play a genasi? Absolutely. And I freely admit that. But I can't help it. When I look at the chart and see there are 10 different race options for playing a DEX/CHA character, 8 options for STR/CON or DEX/WIS, and 7 options for INT/CHA... the single STR/INT character bugs me. Especially since I'm not a Realms fan and thus the genasi as a race do nothing for me.

Sour grapes? Yup. Guilty as charged. But with only 1 STR/INT option and only 2 STR/CHA options... at some point I wish we'd see a Winning Races article that gives us a +2 STR; +2 INT or CHA race.

Anyone? Name a race that could easily be +2 STR; +2 INT or CHA! One that is primed for the Warlord in either type of build! There has to be one, right?!?

 

[Jester David]

I'm not sure I'd want to add a race for the sole purpose of filling a stat bonus combo.

 

[Sunseeker]

Pick your race because you want to play that race. Don't power-build. That +2 isn't going to kill your build anyway.

 

[BriarMonkey]

Last time I checked, not everything needs an 18.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Secondary stats definitely don't need to be an 18.

 

[malcolm_n]

Rather than just shoot you down because I can, I'll see what I can do to suggest a resolution.

It's been a while since I cruised the site, but I don't believe they've done a Winning Races for Bugbear. I think it would be fun for them to update the bugbear we see in MM1 so that he receives the same benefits that gnolls, kenku, and a dozen other races have. Something like

+2 Str, +2 Int/Dex
It would mean that bugbears (as the biggest and generally most cunning of goblins) can still be great rogues while also working as warlords.

Again, forgive my dated information; but I think rather than just saying no, we can look/hope for something that we can build around to meet the needs.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Do bugbears with high Int make sense though? Surely there must be another race more suitable for something like that. (I'd say hobgoblins, but apparently they don't get a Strength bonus.)

 

[Dragoslav]

Yuan-ti. +2 INT and +2 STR/CHA.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Obviously, we don't NEED stats at 18... but when it comes to STR/INT, we don't really have a choice in the matter. That's my point. Everyone has the potential to have 18s in their primary and secondary stats for almost any class using a whole host of different races, except for the Tactical Warlord and STR/INT. It just makes me wonder why they've never seen any potential new race they create as being a STR/INT combo... especially when they keep introducing DEX/CHA races up the wazoo.

I agree with (Psi)SeveredHead that Hobgoblin is one of the races that makes the most sense for it (and the Warlord class)... but the designers went with CON; INT/CHA rather than STR. I also think that perhaps now looking at the way things have shook out in the game if perhaps Dragonborn should have been STR; INT/CHA, rather than STR; CON/CHA?

The only other race I can think of would be the Oni (Ogre Mage)... but looking at those, they'd probably end up being STR; CON/CHA like the Dragonborn is. Plus the fact that they're a Large race doesn't help matters. Other than that... I don't see any other potential races remaining.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Yuan-ti. +2 INT and +2 STR/CHA.

Ooh! Interesting! Now the question is... would they ever make the yuan-ti a playable race?